Hello, officer! Why yes, this is a jug of moonshine, but that’s not booze inside. It’s “incidental contents.” That’s what eBay calls liquor if you’re trying to sell it,¬†but don’t try auctioning off that pack of wine coolers you bought while drunk last week. There’s an important disclaimer you’ve got to include if you’re shilling booze — er, incidental contents.

As one Consumerist reader points out, eBay lays down the law pretty precisely for “Alcohol-related collectibles.”

According to the rules:

The following disclaimer must be posted word for word in your item description. It must be in the same font size as the rest of the description. Each of the following conditions must be met in order to list alcohol-related collectibles on our website:

– The value of the item is in the collectible container, not its contents.
– The container has not been opened and any incidental contents are not intended for consumption.
– The item is not available at any retail outlet.
– The seller will take all appropriate steps to ensure that the buyer is of lawful age in the buyer’s and seller’s jurisdiction. In general, this is 21 years of age.
– Both the buyers and sellers ensure that the sale complies with all applicable laws and shipping regulations

The key terms to note here are that it can’t be available at a retail outlet and the value of the item must be the container, not the booze inside it. Oh, and you’re not supposed to drink what’s in there. So, have fun with that.

Although, all these liquor offerings don’t seem to be on sale for their bottles.

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